Caught On The Web

So, it seems that the folks who have (at some point) hacked website databases, have data mined the breaches, and sold their email / password info to a group that is blasting the “I have nasty pictures of you” scam out to everyone.

I’ve gotten a second version of the email, threatening to release embarrassing photos/videos of me, unless I “donate” $1000 worth of bitcoins to their account.

This version was worded differently, and came to my email, with my four year old password in the subject line… so I’m guessing this was from the LinkedIn data breach.

Again, the email it came from will either be hacked, or (more likely) spoofed. The only REAL thing in the email is the Spammer’s BitCoin account.

I have no intent in paying it, and am only posting this again, because other folks might gain benefit from word of the scam getting out there, and hopefully fewer folks will be victimized.

I remember a few years back… my Father-In-Law was one of the first folks to get the “Canada Revenue Agency” call, saying that he owed money, he was in big trouble, and they were sending a police officer to arrest him. Now it seems like everyone is getting those calls… but at the time, we jumped in our car, and drove to his house, as fast as we could, to be there, just in case… and it left us, unsettled.

Today was my turn.

I got an email, saying that I had clicked on a link that gave someone access to my webcam, and my contacts, and unless I paid $300 USD (in Bitcoin) to them, they would send embarrassing video to everyone in my contact list… and, as the owner of a business, how this embarrassment would affect my company, and brand.

As I don’t have a webcam on any of my desktop or laptop computers, I deleted the email, and went about my day.

A short time later, I thought about it some more, and realized my ipad has a forward-facing camera, and theoretically could have been compromised.

Having said that:

I’m not paying.

I don’t like extortion, I don’t like bullies, and spammers and scammers suck.

I believe it is a scam…. and several days later, there have been no further developments.

I have posted a notice, letting my friends know, that if they get an email, saying there are compromising pictures of Bob, with a link… that they should “flush” it. Clicking on, or connecting to, a questionable link is ALWAYS a bad idea… and when you KNOW it is a bad link, an even worse idea.

I have contacted the RCMP… although there is nothing to give any leads in the email. The address is either spoofed or hacked. The only valid information in the email, would be the BitCoin account number, and that isn’t trackable.

I’ll say it again… Spammers and Scammers SUCK..

If you ever get anything similar, here are the prescribed steps, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:

If you were the victim of fraud or extortion, please contact your local police.

Additionally, there are a number of other agencies that may be able to assist.

I got that same old spammy direct message on Twitter, saying “Did you see this pic of you. LOL” and a link:

As always, I deleted the email notification, and went to the sender’s timeline.

They are a small local company, with not many followers and a pretty meager twitter feed… so as well as replying on Twitter, I took the unusual step of calling their office to let them know that they had clicked on a bad link, and they needed to change their password.

Nobody was in the office, but I left them a fairly comprehensive message, explaining (in the simplest terms possible) how they could quickly resolve their issue.

About an hour later, I got a call back, asking if I was Bob, and asking me to explain what I was talking about.

Because… you see… they PAY someone to look after their Twitter account for them. Or, more precisely, to send spam, on their behalf.

The Twitter feed that I took as someone’s sad attempt to break into the world of Social Media… was contracted out to a “professional”… who was tricked by the “Have you seen this picture of you. LOL” tweet.

And, now I understand “gobsmacked.”

I have no issue with someone helping out with Social Media. Heck, I have a number of businesses and Organizations that I help with that !!!

But I believe in value for money, and if you can’t do something properly and well… say so, and get out of the way.

Apparently not everyone feels that way… and some people are just Social Media vultures… taking advantage of small companies that don’t know any better.

Gobsmacked !!!

FYI… The Free Dictionary defines ‘gobsmacked’ as British slang, meaning astounded or astonished.

I have a number of connections, and have worked to use LinkedIn to promote and advance my business.

It is a powerful tool, and one of the premiere networks to advance your brand.

It is also “the source” of increasing frustration with the amount of email spam I receive, saying that So And So wants to connect to me, with all appearance of being a being a legitimate LinkedIn invitation… but is actually an attempt to phish (obtain my username and password surreptitiously) my account.

This has become so frequent, that I NEVER use the LinkedIn mobile app any more, and would never click on a link in a LinkedIn email, even f it appears to come from a legitimate email address.

It is a sad statement, that I now look at the source email, before I read ANY email on my Blackberry… and have had to employ a more powerful spam blocking engine,to try to stem the tide of spoofing (An email that has a legitimate address, but actually comes from a spammer) and phishing.

Certainly it is important to network, and not let the spammers stop us from connecting…. But it is equally important to make sure that our Networds are secure, but using caution, diligence, and a strong unique password.

“Say what you mean… And mean what you say…” Something my dad said to us as young children, to help us focus our thoughts, when we were trying to communicate difficult or complex thoughts.

His words came flooding back to me today, as I encountered a circumstance of someone posting a picture on Facebook that had a slur in it, and, when a few of us called them on it, the reply was that it “…was okay, because I didn’t create it.”

Similarly, I have noticed a rash of Twitter accounts, where, in the 160 character bio, they make special note that “…any retweets do not imply endorsement.”

We are in a time where Facebook is all about liking… Twitter is all about tweeting… and Pinterest is all about pinning… yet despite the multitude of images, messages and captions we process every day, there seems to be a growing sense, that each of us are somehow an arms length away from “owning” what we are saying.

If I post something on my Facebook wall, I “endorse” that item.

If I retweet something on Twitter, I do so because I found it informative, funny or helpful. I have read and understood it, and want to share the value I found in it.

If I pin something on my Pinterest boards, the same thing… I am sharing something that I thought had value.

If I find something rude or offensive, I will not share it unless I do so to educate or draw attention to it, as in the case of my “Not Okay To Use The ‘R’ Word” blog post.

What I won’t do is slough it off, and say… “Well, I didn’t read it” or “I thought it was funny, despite the obvious flaws or slurs.”

Everything that is part of my social media… or on my websites… is an extension of me and my thoughts, and I stand behind them.

I’m not saying that I’m infallible. I sometimes trip up on words, and have to edit myself, or tweak a post after someone points out something, about which I mis-spoke.

But I look at everything I do, and run a filter, and ask, “Am I okay with this message?”

Maybe it is because I help a number of charities and organizations with their Social Media accounts, but I just do this automatically.

Some things I tweet from one account, would be entirely inappropriate for another… but that is part of Branding.

And I am proud of my BobSongs Brand, and would never think to post content to it, that I don’t PERSONALLY endorse.

And so, tonight, it got me wondering: Why is it that SO many people don’t feel that way about THEIR brands ?